You can actually get a little closer to pure white with a gel lens. There is a strange (unobvious) color that, combined with the VFD, will give almost a white illumination. But you sacrifice brightness to get it. You might want to check out Steve's page to check the gel colors. If I remember correctly, it was some weird color... Like "Medium Bastard Amber" or "Light Rose". That, combined with the natural VFD, gave off a nearly white illumination...

Meanwhile, I did receive an email from Steve a few days ago. He said that he has been in the hospital from pneumonia, but was released a few days ago. As I here anything more, I will post.